Pink Bull workforce principal Laurent Mekies says the delay to the beginning of the Belgian Grand Prix shocked the workforce after it opted for a moist climate setup on its automobiles.
Max Verstappen received the Dash on Saturday with a low downforce setup, making use of excessive high pace in dry circumstances. With rain forecast for Sunday, Pink Bull then modified its strategy in qualifying primarily based on the climate, however 90 minutes handed between the unique try to begin the race after which lastly racing on a drying observe, with no one doing greater than ten racing laps on the intermediates earlier than switching to slicks.
“I feel we’re all shocked by how late we’ve began the race,” Mekies mentioned. “I am certain the FIA had its personal issues, however definitely for us as a workforce it shocked us, as a result of basically we waited not just for the rain to cease, but in addition for just about the solar to return out, after which we nonetheless had many laps behind the security automobile.
“So, once more, I am certain the FIA had its personal causes. In our particular case, having biased our automobiles in direction of the rain, for certain it is costing us efficiency. But it surely’s a part of the sport.”
Mekies identified how tough overtaking proved in dry circumstances all through the weekend as displaying the alternative set-up strategy was required to have the ability to make progress, as Max Verstappen was restricted to fourth place behind Charles Leclerc.
“Clearly, the truth that we received so little moist working did not assist. It is one thing that we had made fairly heavy selections, fascinated by a moist race. Ultimately, the rain got here, however we did not get many nice racing [laps]. So, for certain, it has an affect on the race, it is a part of the sport.
“I feel, on the dries, there was little or no risk to overhaul. On the finish of the day, Max has spent each second lap in Charles’ gearbox. I do not suppose, on the dries, we’ve seen many overtaking strikes at this race. And, with our selections on downforce, it might have been unlikely that we might have been capable of move them within the dry.
“So, it’s what it’s. You begin fourth, get overwhelmed by three thousandths of a second by Charles [in qualifying], and end fourth.”
The dry working additionally harm Yuki Tsunoda’s probabilities of scoring factors, after Mekies admitted a workforce error price him his place within the high ten and he was unable to regain these positions.
“So, for Yuki, it was our mistake. We wished to pit him on the identical lap as Max, and every little thing was prepared, the crew was out, every little thing was able to get each automobiles, and we merely known as him too late. So it is on us, sadly, and one lap made a giant distinction, so he misplaced, I feel, three or 4 positions, which in the end stopped his battle for the factors.”
